Our activities

Cereals

Overview

Europe’s third largest processor of starch products, Tereos processes 4.4 million metric tons of raw materials (corn, maize, potatoes and manioc) into +2 million metric tons of starch products (sweeteners and starches) and 467,000 m3 of alcohol and ethanol in its twelve factories in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Brazil, China and Indonesia.

Profile

The cereals produced in Europe are used in animal feed, human nutrition and starch production. Four types form the core of national production: soft wheat, maize, barley and durum wheat. In its industrial facilities Tereos processes the cereals grown by its cereal co-operative partners, among others, in order to produce mainly starch and alcohol.

Products

Starch: the grain is first cleaned and crushed, and the flour produced is then mixed with water. The starch milks obtained are then either sent to glucose units for complete processing, dried into native starches, or transformed into modified starches. They are used by the agricultural sector and industry.

Glucose and derivatives: the glucose units transform the starch milk into glucose syrups, which are then purified and concentrated. Specific mixtures are then created according to the needs of the client.

Traditional alcohol: when fermented in the presence of yeast, glucose is transformed into alcohol. The product is then distilled to produce highly pure alcohol or rectified and dehydrated to produce pure alcohol.

Ethanol: used for fuel, dehydrated alcohol is known as bioethanol. It can be used as a blend with traditional petrol in different proportions (E10, E85). Advanced ethanol is produced from the residues of production and contributes to a full and sustainable use of agricultural raw materials.

Other outlets: starch processing produces a number of co-products: wheat and corn gluten, corn feed, wheat feed, cereal germ, hydrolyzed proteins, etc. All these can be used in human and animal food.